Operations

The top investigator at Strategic Command has been ordered to review mistakes in the Air Force's nuclear enterprise that led to the termination of 17 service officials this week. 

NATO leaders are launching an inquiry into allegations of misconduct by the alliance's special forces in southern Afghanistan. 

The Pentagon's funding request for the final years of the Afghan war will arrive on Capitol Hill by the end of this month, according to the department's No. 2 official. 

Several members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) took part in last year’s terrorist attack on the U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, CNN reported.

A senior law enforcement official told CNN that “three or four” men who took part in the attack were from Yemen and members of AQAP.

It’s unclear still whether they had been sent by AQAP to take part in the attack or were already in Benghazi and joined as the opportunity arose.

But the country still hasn’t developed the technology to weaponize the long-range missile, according to the assessment.

“You look and rethink all options. It doesn’t mean you do, or you will,” the Defense secretary said.

The Department of Veterans Affairs said Monday it was withholding performance bonuses for senior officials who are in charge of the large disability claims backlog.

The VA said in a statement that 2012 bonuses were being withheld for senior executives because of a failure to meet the VA’s performance goals.

The money will instead go toward helping to eliminate the backlog.

There is more public support than opposition for U.S. military action in Syria if the reports of chemical weapons are confirmed, according to a new poll from Pew Research.

The survey found 45 percent of respondents supported military action against Syria, while 31 percent were opposed. Nearly a quarter of respondents, 23 percent, did not have an opinion or did not know.

President Obama has warned that the used of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar Assad would be a “game changer,” although Obama has proceeded cautiously after the White House said there was some evidence a chemical attack occurred.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai admitted Monday to receiving millions in cash payouts from the CIA over the past decade, weeks after he demanded agency officials ramp down their efforts in Afghanistan. 

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Monday that the Obama administration was still assessing the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria, echoing the caution President Obama has expressed about a possible U.S. response.

“I think we should wait to get the facts before we get any judgments about what actions, if any, should be taken, and what kind of action,” Hagel said at a joint Pentagon press conference with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera.

The White House’s disclosure last week that it believes Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces have used chemical weapons sparked a flurry of calls for action, including the possibility of a no-fly zone and providing arms to rebel groups.